Book Review: Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #8
Publisher: Spectra
Release Date: March 25th 2008
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Tabloid reporter Hope Adams appears to live the life of an ordinary working girl. But in addition to possessing the beauty of a Bolly-wood princess, Hope has other unique traits. For she is a half demon- a human fathered by a demon. And she's inherited not only a gift for seeing the past but a hunter for chaos- along with a talent for finding it wherever she can. Naturally, when she's chosen by a very dangerous group for a very dangerous mission, she jumps at the chance...
The head of the powerful Cortez Cabal- a family that makes the mob look like amateurs- has a little problem in Miami: a gang of wealthy, bored offspring of supernaturals is getting out of hand, and Hope is needed to infiltrated. As spells, astral projections, and pheromones soar across South Beach, Hope weaves her way through its elite hot spots, posing as upscale eye candy and reading the auras of the clientele- and potential marks.

I finished reading this book a few weeks ago, but my head is still spinning. I think this book is different than the previous ones. While the other books had this kind of slow world building vibe and felt more focused on character development, Personal Demon makes a big change for the world of this series. There are some surprising things that happen in this book, things I didn't anticipate. But I'll get to that later. Let's talk characters first.

The first thing that jumped at me and surprised me is that we get two POVs in Personal Demon: Hope's POV and that of Lucas. It was very nice having a male's perspective of the world. And it gave me the chance to really see Lucas and get a feel of him, not just from what Paige is thinking about him, but to experience it for myself. He's a really cool guy. I like that he's level-headed and that he doesn't judge other people. And he's really helpful and kind with other people, even with his idiot brothers.

Hope is... different. Not because of her powers, not because of her father or anything like that. She just is different. I liked her, yes. But I didn't love her as I wanted to. There were moments when her choices and actions were a little difficult for me to understand. Maybe it's because I liked Karl so much, but I really felt like at times she wasn't fair with him at all. I also wanted to see her using her powers more and to learn about her powers because they are really unique. And, yes, I admit it, a small part of me wanted to see Hope at her worst. We've had glimpses of how the other characters can do bad things, I was waiting for Hope to have that moment. For some reason I see her like dynamite, just seconds away from explosion. I don't want her to turn bad, but I want to experience the difficult part of her power from her POV, not some other character's.

I loved Karl. I feel like he could be an alpha. Not as good as Jeremy though, but Karl would make a great leader. We get a different side of him in this book. While I can't say I liked him at first, I can see now why Hope fell for the guy. I'm just hoping that the other werewolves get to see the nice side of him. He can be annoying when he wants to, so it would be a difficult journey to get to know him. But, like I said, I loved him.

I won't give away anything about the changes in the world, because those are spoilers. But it kind of goes back to book 2, Stolen. It's kind of cool to see all the connections between books that are not consecutive in a series.

The only thing that I wanted that didn't come true is another Jaime/Jeremy book. I got used to twos: two books for Elena, two for Paige. Yes, Eve had only one, but I was hoping the pattern would continue with Jaime/Jeremy. And yes, I wanted more naked-Jeremy scenes. Nothing wrong with that *blush*

Anyway, I can't wait to see what happens next in the series, even if it means I'm getting closer and closer to the ending *sob*

 

Book Review: No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #7
Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Release Date: Februaty 26th 2008
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Jaime, who knows a thing or two about showbiz, is on a television shoot in Los Angeles when weird things start to happen. As a woman whose special talent is raising the dead, her threshold for weirdness is pretty high: she’s used to not only seeing dead people but hearing them speak to her in very emphatic terms. But for the first time in her life – as invisible hands brush her skin, unintelligible fragments of words are whispered into her ears, and beings move just at the corner of her eye–she knows what humans mean when they talk about being haunted.

She is determined to get to the bottom of these manifestations, but as she sets out to solve the mystery she has no idea how scary her investigation will get, or to what depths ordinary humans will sink in their attempts to gain supernatural powers. As she digs into the dark underside of Los Angeles, she’ll need as much Otherworld help as she can get in order to survive, calling on her personal angel, Eve, and Hope, the well-meaning chaos demon. Jeremy, the alpha werewolf, is also by her side offering protection. And, Jaime hopes, maybe a little more than that.

I was so happy to finally read this book. You know, it's Jeremy!! If I had to pick a Best Werewolf of all times, it would be Jeremy. He's the perfect werewolf and yet he's so not the perfect hero. He's strong, smart, sexy, powerful, funny, caring, patient. And then there are the few moments of weakness, not in a "oh my god, I'm helpless, I don't know what to do" way. But in such a sweet way. Like when he talks to Jaime about his alpha status and what it actually means and there's a moment when you can actually feel his patience sort of dimming a little. You could see how frustrated he was. Did I say he's sexy? Yes, yes he is. He's very sexy. Swoon-worthy!

Then there's Jaime. She's a redhead first and that's always a good thing. I love redheaded heroines *grin*. But she's also extremely funny. And I loved her brain. She really is smart. She's also sexy and she isn't ashamed of acting like a sexy woman. I liked seeing her getting flustered while talking on the phone with Jeremy. There's this adorable scene with them, I think it was in Haunted? Anyway, it was very cute and sweet and funny. And I also liked the fact that she tried to not ask for help. I think anyone in her shoes would have done it, would have called for help and play the weak female card. But she didn't. Also, she was lucky that Jeremy let her do that. I have a feeling that Jeremy wanted nothing more than to make her sit quietly in a corner while he took all the risks and do all the crazy, dangerous stuff that needed to be done.

You'll get some suspense with this book. I liked that I didn't figure out who was doing the bad things. You'll also get to see some very, very hot, sexy scenes *fans self* And it's Jeremy, for God's sake. You can never go wrong if you're reading a book or scenes with or about him. 

 

Book Review: Broken by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #6
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: April 25th 2006
My Rating: 4 cups
Burb: (from Goodreads)

In this thrilling new novel from the author of Industrial Magic, a pregnant werewolf may have unwittingly unleashed Jack the Ripper on the twenty-first century — and become his next target…

Ever since she discovered she’s pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she’s never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who’s given birth. But thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough — only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London’s underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers — unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs.

Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they’re looking for — which, for some unknown reason, is Elena…

It was really nice to go back to the original narrator of this series. I kind of missed her sarcasm and her strength.

I felt like this book shows a completely different Elena. She's pregnant and, because she isn't allowed do to almost anything (by any of her pack mates), she's bored. She's also a little afraid I think. Being the only female werewolf, her pregnancy is a mystery for everyone and it's a reason for everyone to worry about her and her babies. For me it was a little strange seeing this side of her, because I'm used to a powerful, confident Elena, one that isn't afraid of anything and one that can do almost anything. Oh, and let's not forget about powerful, nothing-can-hurt-him Clay. But I think it was a good thing to see the vulnerable side of both of them. Makes them that much stronger and makes me love these characters more.

I also liked that we get to see Jamie. I really do love her!

The book was fast-paced, full of action, mystery, zombies and the occasionally funny dialogue, along with sarcasm. It isn't my favorite book of the series so far, but it is good. Now off to read about Jamie :D

Book Review: Haunted by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld #5
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: May 26, 2005
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF THE SMART, SEXY -- SUPERNATURAL -- WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD
Eve Levine -- half-demon, black witch and devoted mother -- has been dead for three years. She has a great house, an interesting love life and can't be killed again -- which comes in handy when you've made as many enemies as Eve. Yes, the afterlife isn't too bad -- all she needs to do is find a way to communicate with her daughter, Savannah, and she'll be happy.
But fate -- or more exactly, the Fates -- have other plans. Eve owes them a favor, and they've just called it in. An evil spirit called the Nix has escaped from hell. She feeds on chaos and death, and is very good at persuading people to kill for her. The Fates want Eve to hunt her down before she does any more damage, but the Nix is a dangerous enemy -- previous hunters have been driven insane in the process. As if that's not problem enough, the only way to stop her is with an angel's sword. And Eve is no angel. . . .

Oh Eve! You broke my heart. I actually didn't expect that. I thought I'd see a somewhat cool demon-witch-ghost that was scary as hell, with a heart as black as night and a major bitch. Yes, I had misconceptions and yes, I'm ashamed of that.

From the second book of the series, Stolen, we know Eve was a "bad witch", one that used black magic to get whatever she wanted and she used her powers to help the wrong people, the ones that payed the highest price for her services. We also know that she's Savannah's mother. What that book and the other 2 following books don't show you is that Eve is capable of love, she knows what's right or wrong, she is capable of suffering and she would do anything for her daughter. Also, she is an honorable woman, even though she is kind of bad *grin* - once she makes a promise, she keeps it no matter what. She's also vulnerable. Now, don't think she isn't bad-ass, because she is and she can kick major ass. She's just very, very complex. And not what I expected.

I loved that we get to see her getting a second chance at love. And with the love of her life, Savannah's dad. Kris was also surprising. Though I was expecting him to be more...Cabal-ish? Mean? Different from the other sorcerer and Cabal relative, Lucas Cortez.

There's one thing that made me too sad and the reason I can't give this book the highest rating: the ending. It didn't feel like a happy ending. I know, I know, the bad guy is captured and punished, Kris and Eve get back together, nobody dies and Eve gets to redeem herself. But I felt it was bittersweet. The very last scene left me kind of raw and on the verge of tears actually. And it wasn't in a good, "oh, I so understand what this character is going through" kind of tears, it was more along the lines of "crap, this is so unfair! *sniff*sniff*". That's basically the only thing that I wished was different. Other than that, I loved it and I hope there's another Eve/Kris story in the next books/short stories.

Now I'm off to read Broken. (I wanted to wait, read one book per month, for the entire duration of the Women Of The Otherworld reading challenge BUT: 1. I can't wait a month to read the next one, I love this series so much and 2. I'm ready for a certain someone and a certain hot male to get together, which I hope will happen in Thirteen. )

Book Review: Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #4
My Rating: 5 cups
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Publication Date: January 26, 2010
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

Meet the smart, sexy — supernatural — women of the otherworld. This is not your mother’s coven...

Kelley Armstrong returns with the eagerly awaited follow-up to Dime Store Magic. Paige Winterbourne, a headstrong young woman haunted by a dark legacy, is now put to the ultimate test as she fights to save innocents from the most insidious evil of all.. . .

In the aftermath of her mother’s murder, Paige broke with the elite, ultraconservative American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new Coven for a new generation. But while Paige pitches her vision to uptight thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter commands her attention.

Someone is murdering the teenage offspring of the underworld’s most influential Cabals — a circle of families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other than her boyfriend. But love isn’t blind, and Paige has her eyes wide open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted against shamans, demons, and goons, it’s a battle chilling enough to make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry. If she gets the chance.

This second book about Paige and Lucas was so great! I loved reading it. Besides the paranormal elements, I felt like I was reading a very good mystery novel. There where a lot of other great things that stood out, but the mystery killer part was the most important one for me.

I liked seeing Lucas and his family play a bigger part in this novel. While he was present in Dime Store Magic, I felt like Lucas was still a huge mystery to me. Not that it bothered me, but I wanted to know more about him. So learning about him, his family and, ultimately, about how the Cabals and their world works, was one of the reasons I loved this novel.

I loved the suspense, the element of danger that this story had. Also, I loved the fact that I couldn't figure out who was the killer, until the very end, when the killer was revealed. I had lots of weird theories about his identity, but I never felt like I had a good idea about him. So that's what made it a good mystery for me *shrug*

One of the things I liked is that we get to see some old friends, like Adam (*swoon*), Cassandra, Jeremy and his Pack. We also meet Savannah's mom, Eve. I didn't know what to think about her when she was in a scene. I was convinced she was just as bad as the other characters thought she was, that she surprised me.

I loved the book and I can only hope we get to be in Paige's POV again soon. And yes, I'm still waiting for Savannah to grow up so that she can hook up with a certain hot male (*wink*).

Can't wait to read Haunted and be in Eve's POV and learn more about her, how she was before her death and how she is now. And also, I'm getting sadder with each and every book I read that the series is coming to an end *sniffle*.

Book Review: Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld #3

My Rating: 5 cups

Blurb (from Goodreads):

From Canada’s new queen of suspense, another hugely entertaining supernatural thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Prepare to be enchanted . . .

Forget the cackling green hag in The Wizard of Oz, forget Samantha from Bewitched. Real witches are nothing, NOTHING like this. For years real witches have hidden their powers, afraid of being persecuted. They have integrated so well into the community, you could have a witch living right next door and never know about it. Take Paige, for instance, whom we first met in Kelley Armstrong’s novel Stolen. Just an ordinary twenty-something who runs her own website design company, worries about her weight and wonders if she’ll ever find a boyfriend. Okay, so she’s leader of the American Coven and guardian of Savannah, the teenage daughter of a black witch. Really, life is ordinary. But then a telekinetic half-demon, Leah O’Donnell, shows up to fight for custody of Savannah. And although Paige is ready for her, she’s not quite so prepared for the team of supernaturals that Leah brings with her, including a powerful sorcerer who claims to be Savannah’s father.

When all hell breaks loose -- literally -- and Paige is accused of witchcraft, Satanism and murder, the Coven, fearing exposure, abandons her. Cut off from her friends, Paige is forced against her better judgment to accept the help of a young sorcerer lawyer. And she quickly comes to realize that keeping Savannah could mean losing everything else.

I must admit that while reading Stolen, the second book of this series, I didn't exactly like Paige. She seemed annoying at first, probably because she was young and impulsive. Then we read about her in Dime Store Magic and we see a mature Paige, one that isn't so impulsive. Also, I loved how she wants to help witches regain their full powers. It is possible that Savannah helped her mature, besides the things that happened in the previous book and that Paige witnessed. All I know is that I liked the change.

Her knight in shinning armor is Lucas Cortez, lawyer and sorcerer, son of one of the most important man in the supernatural world. I liked that some of Paige's beliefs were challenged by this relationship. As we learned before, witches and sorcerers are enemies and hate each other, each thinking the others are beneath them. Yes, Paige and Lucas do have some rough moments and they butt heads a time or two, but in the end they fall in love and overcome their differences. I actually loved Lucas. He was so patient and he helped Paige get out of some really difficult situations in the beginning of the book, even though she did her best to keep him away from her.

I was sad that Adam didn't appear more :( I know it wasn't his story, but still.. Other than that tinny little detail, I can say I loved this book. Very fast-paced, full of suspense, romance, action, humor. Oh, and some sarcasm. I do love a sarcastic character.

Book Review: Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld #2

My Rating: 4 cups

Blurb (from Goodreads):

It was in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong's debut novel, that thirty-year-old Elena Michaels came to terms with her feral appetites and claimed the proud identity of a beautiful, successful woman and the only living female werewolf.

In Stolen, on a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the "other races" and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals - witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves - are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match.

If the first book if this series, Bitten, was about werewolves only, we get to meet some very cool creatures in Stolen. Vampires (swoon), witches, shamans, sorcerers, demons, half-demons, and some creatures I haven't heard of before. I liked that part. While I loved Elena and her Pack mates, I was sure there had to be more creatures out there in this world. Glad I wasn't mistaken :)p

I felt that the story was a little slow, slower than in the previous book, but not enough to bother me. Or maybe I was expecting a little more... let's say drama? Before you start throwing things at me, let me explain. While the idea of human scientists targeting and kidnapping supernatural creatures in order to understand what makes them tick is fantastic, I was expecting a lot more gruesome details. I was ready for the torture, in other words. The fact that they just observed them without much harm, only a complete physical check up, was a little baffling. Not a bad thing though, since I would've hated to see Elena or any of the others tortured, but still... (I'm not making any sense, am I? Sorry for that)

If Clay and Jeremy managed to attract my attention in the first book, in this one Adam, the half-demon, made a very good impression. I'm actually hoping he'll be the HEA of a certain very young witch. In the future books, not now o.O Like, when she'll be twenty-ish. I also think he needs his own song. Something like I Love Playing with Fire (The Runaways <3).

All in all, I really am enjoying this series. So if you haven't started reading it yet, don't wait any longer. READ IT!!

Book Review: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #1
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Elena Michaels seems like the typically strong and sexy modern woman, She lives with her architect boyfriend, writes for a popular newspaper, and works out at the gym. She's also a werewolf.
Elena has done all she can to assimilate to the human world, but the man whose bite changed her existence forever, and his legacy, continue to haunt her. Thrown into a desperate war for survival that tests her allegiance to a secret clan of werewolves, Elena must recon with who, and what, she is in this passionate, page-turning novel.

I remembered last week that I was supposed to read this book for the Women of the Otherworld reading challenge. Now that I've read it, I can honestly say I have no idea what made me wait this long to read it. I did enjoy it, a lot I might add.

What I really liked about this book was that there wasn't a scene that I felt was less important for the main plot. You know how sometimes you read a book full of unimportant scenes that are there just to make you wait till the end? I didn't have that feeling with Bitten. That's what was so good about it, the fact that every scene, every little detail was important and it all played a part in the main plot.

Also, this was not your typical werewolf novel. I enjoyed the new take on these creatures and, as with vampires, it is hard to find a book that to me is fresh and Bitten managed that. I do hope that in the future books we get to explore more of the history of werewolves and the Pack.

The book was fast-paced and very intense. It made me "feel" like a part of the action, which is actually rare for me with a book written in first person. Actually, for a big part of the reading, I forgot it was written in 1st person.

I liked the sarcasm, the action, the tense moments, the tender moments, the funny scenes, the sad scenes, I loved them all. Then there was this very hot scene with a tree *sigh* Yeah, loved it all.

I think if you like urban fantasy, paranormal, werewolves and supernatural creatures, this is the book for you. I'm just sorry I didn't read it earlier.